Orphaned mountain lion cub with ‘feisty spirit’ is being rehabilitated at Oakland Zoo

An orphaned mountain lion cub who was recently spotted by hikers in California is being nursed back to health at the Oakland Zoo.

The “extremely emaciated” cub, dubbed Rose by her caretakers at the zoo, was in critical condition when she was rescued on April 10, according to a news release from the Oakland Zoo and the Conservation Society of California. Veterinarians at the zoo said she was found in the nick of time and that she likely hadn’t eaten in weeks.

“She is excruciatingly thin,” Dr. Alex Herman, the vice president of veterinary services at the Oakland Zoo, said in the release. “She is also suffering from extreme dehydration, and her temperature was so low it couldn’t be read.”

Rose’s caretakers estimate that she’s 4 or 5 months old and said a cub that age should weigh around 30 pounds — in comparison, she only weighed 8.8 pounds at the time of her rescue, according to the news release.

“But she survived her first night, which is critical,” Herman said in the release. “We can already tell she has a feisty spirit and an obvious will to live, and we’re thankful for that.”

Rose was first seen by the hikers in the Thornewood Open Space Preserve in San Mateo on April 5, the news release said. After that, wildlife biologists with the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District contacted officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to coordinate a rescue.

Officials set up cameras in the area and began patrolling it daily, according to the release. Rose was finally located and retrieved after five days of searching. When she was brought to the zoo, veterinarians found that she was not only suffering from starvation but was also dehydrated, covered in fleas and ticks, and had a low red blood cell count, the release said.

Rose is receiving fluids and hydration through an IV, in addition to being bottle-fed small amounts of formula, the release said. Dr. Ryan Sadler, one of the zoo’s veterinarians, said she also ate a small piece of meat, indicating she might be regaining strength.

Still, Rose’s condition is in flux — Sadler said in the release that if her red blood cell count remains low, she might need a blood transfusion from another one of the zoo’s previously rescued mountain lions.

Meanwhile, officials are still searching to see if they can find Rose’s mother or any siblings she might have, the release said.

If Rose’s condition improves, she won’t be released back into the wild, as she might not know how to hunt and survive on her own without her mother’s guidance, the release said. Instead, she could be placed with another accredited zoo to stay permanently.

Even though Rose was spotted by a pair of hikers, officials caution people to remain careful around mountain lions, including very young ones.

“If you see a mountain lion, do not approach it. Adult animals, when out hunting prey, may leave offspring somewhere safe for up to days at a time,” Garrett Allen, a biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said in the release. “Seeing a young animal by itself does not indicate that it is an orphan and intervention is appropriate.”

This story was originally published April 12, 2022 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Orphaned mountain lion cub with ‘feisty spirit’ is being rehabilitated at Oakland Zoo."